In 1826, Khunying Mo, wife of the deputy governor of Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) during the reign of King Rama III, is reputed to have saved the city from being occupied by an army led by King Anouvong of Vientiane. At that time, Laos was a Siamese vassal state.

According to historian Prince Damrong Rachanubhap, Khunying Mo pretended to cooperate with the invaders, claiming she wanted independence from Siam. When the Laotian troops were drunk, local people attacked them, winning the subsequent battle of Thung Samrit. When King Anouvong ordered his forces to counterattack, Khunying Mo mobilised women to fight alongside their menfolk and vanquished the invaders. In gratitude for her fortitude, King Rama III later named her Thao Suranaree, meaning "brave lady". Nowadays, it is common for Korat residents to refer to her affectionately as Ya (grandmother) Mo.

In memory of this local heroine, the Nakhon Ratchasima provincial authorities and the local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand are hosting a celebration called Day of Ya Mo's Victory from March 23 to April 3.

Activities to be held in front of the provincial hall, where a statue of Thao Suranaree now stands, will include a traditional dance featuring 10,000 local women, a food fair, the recreation of an old-style market, light-and-sound shows, sales of local products, a beauty pageant, singing and cookery contests and several free concerts.

For more information, call the TAT on 044-213-666 or 044-213-030 or visit www.tourismthailand.org/nakhonratchasima (http://www.tourismthailand.org/nakhonratchasima).

The version of the story that I heard is that she and the ladies of the town gave the invading chaps a great party, booze, a roll in the hay and all, and knifed them to death when they were drunk and asleep. To commemorate this occasion, tarts today with no bar to go to gather nightly near her statue and react the scene in return for small amounts of money.